Pittsburgh Steelers vs Kansas City Chiefs Match Player Stats On Oct 15, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Oct 15, 2017

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Pittsburgh Steelers hold a simple winning formula for beating the Kansas City Chiefs, and it mostly revolves around handing the ball to Le'Veon Bell.

The Steelers running back carved up the Chiefs for 179 rushing yards Sunday, and they knocked off the league's last unbeaten team 19-13 at Arrowhead Stadium.

Bell delivered a repeat performance of his play against the Chiefs in the division playoff after last season. In January, Bell rushed for 170 yards as the Steelers knocked the Chiefs out of the postseason, 18-16.

This game played out much the same way, with the Steelers' defense keeping the Kansas City offense in check much of the day and holding off a late rally.

The Steelers first put points on the board with help from the Chiefs offense. Kansas City center Zach Fulton, filling in for injured starter Mitch Morse, sailed a snap past quarterback Alex Smith from the Chiefs 9-yard line and through the end zone for a safety.

The Steelers repaid the favor on the very next drive. Chiefs punter Dustin Colquitt booted a short free kick following the safety, and the Steelers failed to retrieve it. Kansas City recovered the ball, setting up the Chiefs for a 46-yard field goal by Harrison Butker giving them a 3-2 lead.

Smith and the Chiefs' offense struggled throughout the afternoon, however. The quarterback completed 19 of 34 passes for 246 yards and a touchdown with an 88.6 passer rating. It was the first time this season Smith failed to crack the 100-rating barrier.

Kansas City rookie running back Kareem Hunt picked up just 21 yards on nine carries.

Bell put the Steelers back on top on the first play of the second quarter with a 3-yard touchdown run. Kicker Chris Boswell added a field goal just before the two-minute warning to give the Steelers a 12-3 halftime lead.

Smith rallied the Chiefs in the fourth quarter, connecting with De'Anthony Thomas for a 57-yard touchdown pass, cutting the deficit to 12-10.

The Steelers responded again, however. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger teamed up with receiver Antonio Brown for a 51-yard touchdown pass. Chiefs cornerback Phillip Gaines batted the ball in the air, yet the deflection landed in the hands of Brown, who took off down the sideline for a score that gave the Steelers a 19-10 lead with 3:24 remaining in the game.

Roethlisberger finished 17 of 25 for 252 yards and a touchdown with one interception. Brown finished with eight catches for 155 yards.

NOTES: Pittsburgh LB Vince Williams left the game early in the fourth quarter with a hip injury. He collected four tackles on the day, including two sacks. ... Chiefs RB Kareem Hunt rushed for 21 yards and added 89 receiving yards, helping him top 100 yards from scrimmage for the sixth consecutive game to start his career. That breaks the record of five games with 100 yards or more from scrimmage to start a career set by Adrian Peterson.